


01001110 01101111 01101110 - 00100000 01000010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001

by theartisticfoxx



Series: Non-Binary Connor! [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: (it's Nines), Coming Out, Fluff, Gen, Gender Identity, Nonbinary Character, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, just me projecting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26609239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartisticfoxx/pseuds/theartisticfoxx
Summary: Connor feels odd. He felt uncomfortable in his own (synthetic) skin, and it was bothering him to no end. What's happening?
Relationships: Connor & Gavin Reed, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Hank Anderson & Connor
Series: Non-Binary Connor! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939372
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	01001110 01101111 01101110 - 00100000 01000010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001

**Author's Note:**

> literally just me projecting onto Connor, don't mind me <3

Connor had a problem. Well, there was always a myriad of problems going on when it came to Connor, but this one in particular stuck out to him. Over the past three weeks, Connor had noticed that there was this...discomfort that had settled inside of him. He almost didn't notice it at first, but as the weeks went on, that awful feeling just kept snowballing until it became impossible to ignore. He needed to figure out what was wrong, but every single diagnostic test that he ran came back clean. What was going on?

~

Three weeks ago was when Connor had first felt that strange discomfort. Connor and Hank had successfully captured a suspect that had been on the run for a couple of weeks, so they were both understandably quite cheerful when their suspect was finally arrested. "Good job, son." Hank always said that to Connor after a successful mission. It was just their thing. Connor smiled as usual, but his smile lacked enthusiasm. Something about what Hank said send a jolt of uneasiness through him. The word 'son' kept echoing in his head, which was odd. Why was this happening? He had heard Hank say this countless times before, so why was he reacting this way now? Connor pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind, reminding himself to worry about this another day.

~

Two weeks ago was when Connor realized that the feeling of dread that was slowly encompassing him had gotten stronger. He had started to grow increasingly uncomfortable with how people talked to him. For example, he had gone to visit New Jericho on one of his rare days off. "How's it going, dude?" North's greeting normally put a smile on his face, but this time Connor had to practically force a smile. North's words put pressure on that growing ball of discomfort that resided inside of him. North noticed how differently Connor was acting, and she asked him about it. Of course, Connor just smiled and said that everything was fine. The only thing that gave him away was his bright yellow LED.

~

One week ago was when Hank finally mustered up the courage to ask Connor what was wrong. Hank had noticed how uncomfortable the android had been recently, which was completely out of character for him. "You okay, Con?" He looked over at Connor when he didn't respond. Connor was staring blankly ahead, his LED spinning a constant yellow. "Hey, Con." Hank waved a hand in front of Connor's face, which seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"I apologize, Hank." Connor sat up straight, trying to regain his composure. "I was running a diagnostic scan on myself. Did you ask something?" 

"Yeah, are you okay? Your little-" Hank gestured to Connor's LED. "It's been yellow. A lot. And I don't know what that really means, but you also look stressed out, so..." Hank sighed. Talking was never his strong suit. 

"Ah, that." Connor reached up to his right temple, his fingers ghosting over that ring of light. "I've been...processing some new information. Nothing to worry about, Lieutenant." Connor tried to give a reassuring smile, but it probably just seemed forced. Hank's brow furrowed as he tried to determine whether Connor was lying or not. He either didn't notice or didn't care (Connor thought that it was the latter) and dropped the subject. Connor thought that that was the end of it, but he was wrong.

~

Back in the present, where Connor and Hank had just been invited over to Gavin and Nines' apartment. Connor was apprehensive at first, seeing as Nines always asked in advance if they wanted to come over. Nines didn't usually stray from his habits, which Connor told Hank multiple times. Hank quickly assured him that it was fine, and off they went. 

As soon as Hank knocked on the door, Connor realized that something was off; Hank's usual relaxed demeanor was gone. After giving him a quick scan, Connor saw that his stress levels were at 34%, which was ten percent higher than average. "Hank-"

Connor was cut off when Gavin opened the door. Something was definitely wrong, because Gavin was smiling at Connor. _Smiling_. He didn't even know that Gavin could do that.“Come on in.” Gavin held the door open for them. Connor let Hank pass first, lingering by the door while trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Gavin's stress levels were at a steady 30%, which was still slightly higher than normal for him. 

“Are you just gonna stand outside, or are you coming in?” Connor reluctantly stepped inside the apartment. Gavin immediately closed the door as soon as he was over the threshold, which raised several red flags for Connor. He was just beginning to realize that this was some sort of trap! And...he had walked right into it. His LED spun yellow, occasionally a blip of red mixing in.

“What’s going on?” Connor eyed the couch that Hank and Nines were sitting on. When Gavin joined them, Connor started to preconstruct the best way to leave the apartment. The window was looking like a pretty good option, right now...

“Sit, Connor.” Nines gestured to the chair placed opposite of the couch. His smile was friendly, but his tone was stern. Connor hesitated for a second before sitting down. He couldn’t help but scan the three in front of him. Both Gavin and Hank had accelerated heart rates, and their overall body language combined with their rising stress levels indicated that they were nervous. Nines didn’t seem nervous on the scan, but his yellow LED gave him away. So, all of them were anxious...why?

"Connor," Nines started, his tone similar to how an an adult would talk to a child. "We are all worried about you. You haven't been acting like yourself...is something bothering you?" Connor was trapped. Confrontation was one of his biggest fears, and this combined with his current mental state was just _too much_.

"Nothing is wr-"

"Cut the crap, man!" Gavin interrupted, earning him a glare from Nines, while Hank scolded him. They started to argue, but Nines' full attention was still on Connor. He was the only one to notice how uncomfortable Connor looked. Nines reached out to Connor, the skin on his hand receding to reveal the white chassis underneath. 

"What's wrong, Connor?" Nines sounded genuinely concerned, much to Connor's surprise. He had never seen Nines express this much emotion for him before. Hank and Gavin's bickering had ceased, and they watched the two androids with intent.

"I..." Connor sighed and took Nines' hand in his, accepting his interface request. He allowed Nines to have full access to three week's worth of memories, not withholding any information from him. If anyone could figure out what was happening to him, it was Nines. He could feel Nines sifting through the information, focusing specifically on the comments that caused Connor to feel that awful discomfort in his chest.

Connor eventually pulled away, the synthetic skin reappearing over his hand. Nines sat up straight, seeming to scan Connor for a moment. His facial expression was unreadable, which made Connor nervous. Was something wrong with him? Why wasn't Nines saying anything? The silence was unbearable.

"Nines..?" Gavin snapped his fingers in front of Nines. The android blinked, his LED flashing between yellow and blue for a couple of seconds before settling back to blue.

"Sorry about that." Nines' posture relaxed slightly and he set his hands in his lap. "I was just processing the information that Connor gave me."

"Is something wrong with me?" Everyone's attention turned to Connor. His light was orange, and he was obviously distressed. 

"No, no. Connor..." Nines sighed, pausing to think about his next words. "How did you feel when Hank called you 'son'?"

"I..um..." Connor looked down, suddenly becoming very interested in the floor. "It makes me feel uncomfortable." Hank and Gavin looked worried, while Nines seemed unaffected.

"And do you feel the same way when you are referred to with any masculine word?" Connor nodded, his gaze never leaving the ground. "Okay, so how would you feel if you were referred to with more gender-neutral terms, such as 'partner', or 'individual'?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Connor was confused. Those words made that ball of discomfort in his chest sort of...fade away. A notification appeared on his HUD, indicating that Nines had sent him an article. 'Understanding Non-Binary People'... Connor quickly scanned it, finding the information in it to strike a chord within him. The way that gender was described, or the lack of gender, it suddenly clicked with Connor.

"This-this is how I feel!" Connor looked up and smiled. Nines explained to the two humans what Connor was talking about, and they also smiled. Connor was so happy that he finally had a word he could use to describe how he was feeling. After three long weeks, the sense of dread that was clouding his systems finally lifted.

"So it does suit you?" When Connor nodded, Nines seemed to relax a bit. He was glad that he was able to help Connor out.

"That's great, Con!" Hank got up from the couch and went over to hug Connor. Nines and Gavin shortly followed him. The tension in the room was gone, and it was replaced with such a loving atmosphere.

"So, what do we call you now?" Gavin's question broke the silence, and it honestly caught Connor off guard.

"I hadn't thought of that." Connor thought for a moment, scanning through various articles on the topic of different pronouns. "I suppose the using 'he' is still okay, but...could you also use 'they'?" He knew that they would be okay with this change in pronouns, but he was still nervous to say it out loud. 

Of course, they were all okay with it. In no time, Connor was being referred to as both he and they, and Connor felt a joy that he didn't even know he could feel. They were finally comfortable in their own (synthetic) skin.

**Author's Note:**

> here's the article that I referenced  
> https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-non-binary-people-how-to-be-respectful-and-supportive


End file.
